Last Thursday, the state Environmental Defenders Office filed a class 1 application with the Land and Environment Court for project refusal of the Intermodal at Moorebank on behalf of the community action group Residents Against Intermodal Development, or RAID.

The EDO served papers to the state Minister for Planning Anthony Roberts and Qube Holdings.

Planning Minister Anthony Roberts

The EDO is a community legal centre specialising in public-interest environmental law. It is funded by different sources, including the Law Society and donations.

Principal solicitor with EDO, Elaine Johnson, said the finding of the rare plant Hibbertia fumana at the Moorebank location was important to the case.

“Filing of the case doesn’t automatically impose an injunction on the development and the current consent remains valid,” she said.

“It’s a merits appeal and the Land and Environment Court can remake the decision as to whether to go ahead and under what conditions.

“It can review all aspects of the development and the plant that was found is important to the case.”

BACKGROUND

Qube Holdings owns the Sydney Inter-Modal Terminal Alliance, or SIMTA, and plans to develop, manage and operate the precinct under a 99-year lease and agreement with the Moorebank Intermodal Company, a Commonwealth business enterprise.

The multi-billion-dollar hub is being built in stages over the next five to 10 years. Stage 1 has been approved.

Qube said stage 1 approval was for:

developing the import/export intermodal terminal;

developing the rail link connecting the Moorebank site to Port Botany via the Southern Sydney Freight Line; and